FARMER Kirk Robertson is seeking planning consent for a permanent agricultural worker’s home on his 15-acre farm at Lymm to help protect hens.
If approved by Warrington Borough Council planners, it would be less than three years since they refused permission for a temporary dwelling at Higher Oak Farm, Higher Lane – a decision subsequently overturned on appeal.
But the new application states that the temporary accommodation – a mobile home – is not satisfactory on a permanent basis.
“Temporary provision serves a very specific purpose in the establishment of an enterprise during which period individuals are prepared to accept less standards of accommodation in the short term.”
An agricultural worker is needed to help care for Mr Robertson’s growing free-range poultry enterprise.
He currently has 120 breeding hens, including 20 cockerels, 400 laying hens and 700 hens in a growing flock to be sold as point-of-lay pullets, and wishes to expand.
A key worker living within sight and sound of the birds is able to see or hear an incident, remove or resolve the source and take immediate action to minimise injury and facilities.
In an emergency, a delay of only a few minutes could mean the difference between life or death of an animal.
The application stresses the importance to the economy of agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic and its vital role in the UK food supply chain.
